Fifty-Third Hour 16 Contestants Remaining

"In every Society, there is always different groups. Sometimes these groups are too different to be able to mix. sometimes groups just don't get on, no matter how much they are alike. Now can anyone give me an example of this?" The Teacher looked across at the half empty class. She teached Sociology to these kids after school. Yeah, it was a GCSE lesson, but she got no funding from the school. The class itself was a perfect example to her. She could see, just by looking at them all, who was in what group. There was a group of the "Outcasts" on one side of the room. She only knew they were outcast because they were the only group that used the courtyard at lunch. There was a..She faltered for a name. They were somewhat like the typical stereotypes of Jocks, but as far as she knew, they were completely different. They were the "slackers" of the year, but they took up a majority of the students. Well, male students at least. It seemed the girls had their own social group, completely separate from the boys. She had been to many schools, But the Teacher had never seen a year structured like this before.

"Uhhh. The riots in France a while ago. Wasn't that a case of two groups not getting along.?" Chris Makie answered her question almost perfectly.

"Nah, it was just the French being whiney idiots." A voice came from the girls group, but she didn't catch who said it.

"Well..."

"Why can't we watch Heathers? That is a perfect example of social groups." Adam Self raised his voice from the back of the class.

"No." The Teacher shunned his idea. "I don't want any of you kids getting ideas about killing each other!."

"Damn. "Adam quieted down again.

"Anyone have any other examples?" The teacher looked across the class, hoping for a hand to go up, or a voice to cry out. they just looked at her.

"What...I may just be firing into the dark, but this school? I mean, Our year has its own different groups, most of them separate from each other. The reply she had been hoping for came from a table on their own, well, not paired up with someone else, like everyone else in the room. It was Jess Owen. Model student. Good Grades, Very smart. She was just associated with the wrong crowd.

"Well done." The Teacher turned to face the board, and wrote it down. She was intrigued by the fact that they had noticed the groups themselves, well, they would have noticed them subconsisly, but to really notice the groups..

"Yeah, there is different groups, but its not like we are fighting..." Adam started to talk again.

"Well, maybe we should. It would be better to be fighting than have all this hidden hatred like we do." Chris Makie leaned back in his chair to see Adam, who was surprised at his comment.

"Hidden Hatred? News to me. I knew we don't all get along like the brady bunch, but Hatred?"

"Oh yeah." Chris nodded his head.

"Like who? I...I just don't see it." James Hill slurred from his seat next to Adam. He had been quiet most of the lesson, just watching everyone.

"I...You'd be surprised."

Girl#8 Kirsty Walker looked at the other three members with a slight feeling of in trepidation; She knew what was going to happen. It was obvious. Someone was playing the game, waiting for the right time to strike. Kirsty wasn't going to do anything. She just needed to keep her mind open, know that something might happen. She considered talking to Boy#16 James Counsell, who was the one leading the group. But he could be playing the game. Now that his plan had failed. She didn't know what was going to happen. James was big, strong. If he did decide to play, the rest of the group wouldn't have much of a chance. Add to the fact that he wouldn't let anyone else hold the pistol, and she was very wary of him. Boy#8 Jess Cook, well, Kirsty knew that Jess would do anything James told him to.. He probably wouldn't try anything on James. It wouldn't be worth it. Kirsty was most worried about Girl#18 Lucy Hather. There was something about her that scared her. As soon as they met at the start of the game, she knew. Lucy was too calm to be normal. Kirsty had a horrible feeling of dread, that Lucy was going to turn on everyone in the group. Kirsty had to keep a close eye on her. There was only Two weapons, the pistol and the crossbow, which Jess was holding. Lucy would try to go for the pistol, so She would have to go for James. That made Kirsty feel slightly better. Counsell wouldn't just hand the pistol over. At least he would make it more of a challenge. Kirsty looked at her map, using the first streaks of sunlight. They were about a mile northwest from the village. Counsell said they were heading for the clinic. Kirsty didn't see the point, what was so special about the clinic? But James just kept on saying that "It's just...Calling" She didn't know what he meant.

Boy#12 Ben Collins slowly, very, very slowly, took the pistol that was resting in the sleeping hand of Boy#18 James Hill. James had went to sleep with the gun in his hand, Ben had to have it. Against the wall behind him, right next to the stairs, was the sniper rifle, the MAC-10 and ammo for both of them. Ben didn't have a regret about what he was doing. He..He was leaving James High and dry. Ben knew that now the game was into its final day, there would be no escape plan, no way of foiling the computers, no way of flicking the v to Miss Kingdon and walking out of here. There was only Two ways out. One was to Win, the other, to die. Ben wanted to win. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his mum, his dad, his sister, even though he had never treated them with the respect he should have. He just wanted to be back home. Back on the beach at Burnam-on-sea. He had never once sat and looked at the sea. The game had made him realise so many things he had not done. But he still would. He would finish his GCSE's, get good grades, and go to collage. Ben had thought about having to "play" the game since Ben and Adam had blown him off. His mind had trimmed it down. Nothing a little therapy wouldn't fix. Ben carefully tried to remove the gun's handle from James's hand, when the worst happened. James's eyes shot open, and looked at the gun, at the weapons behind him, and finally at Ben. There was a look of anger, hatred.

"Bad move...Ben!" James whipped the hand with the gun away, and kicked Ben between the legs, causing him to be stunned, and stagger. James quickly got up, at looked at Ben.

"You would have done the same to me!" Ben looked at James. He held the gun to Ben's head with his right hand, his left hanging limp at his side.

"True, but you wouldn't have woken up."

"What now?" Ben quizzically asked. "You shoot me in cold blood? You'd do that?" Ben looked at James. His face remained silent.

"...Well..."James Appeared to be deep in thought "...Yeah" James was just about the pull the trigger, when something happened that changed everything. The broken locked door to the right of James burst open, and in entered Girl#11 Amber Stiles. She brandished a Remington M31 Shotgun, and with one quick scan of the scene, pointed it at James. James looked at Ben, Ben looked at James. They both had the same thought.

"Two against one?" Ben asked James. He nodded. Ben slowly pulled out one of the Ice Picks in his blazer pocket, making sure Amber had no Idea. He waited for the right moment, then threw it at her. She ducked to avoid the spinning weapon. James ran for cover behind the large armchair behind him, Ben ran for the MAC-10 and the stairs. Amber pointed the shotgun at Ben, and fired. It was appallingly wide, and hit the banisters on the stairs. As soon as she fired, James launched forward at Amber, who was distracted by Ben, who was now grabbing the Mac-10. James slammed into Amber, knocking her down, and the Shotgun out of her hand, which slided across the floor and hit the far side of the kitchen. Ben pointed the MAC-10 at both them on the floor. James pointed the 9mm at Ben and fired. Ben dived to miss the bullet, jumping onto the stairs. James got up, with Amber still winded on the floor. He looked at Ben, who was winded as well by the sharp, bear stairs. James walked over, and grabbed the shotgun.

"Come on, you guys! I beat you both. With one arm!" James pointed the shotgun at Amber. He walked up to her, and stared her in the eyes. He didn't pay attention to Ben, who had regained his breath, and had picked up the MAC-10. He aimed it at James's feet, hoping to hit both of them. James was completely unaware. Ben placed his finger on the trigger.

"This is for the four fucking years of hell, you prick!" James heard Ben speaking, and turned to face him. Ben could see Amber's face behind James's legs. He didn't care what emotion it was. He needed to do this, he was in too deep now. He wanted to see his family, he wanted to go home. All they had done in school was taunt him, make fun of him. Four years of humiliation, pain, ritual discrimination, just because. well, there was no reason for it. All this had built up inside him, building and growing. Now...Now. at that moment, it finally reached the top, bubbled over. Ben saw it. He saw the game for what it really was, just as he began to pull the trigger. It was a legal way for people to get their own back. He could finally be strong. Ben's finger pressed the trigger, and in the split second between that and the gun firing, something inside him snapped. Some would say it was Ben going insane, some would say it was Ben reaching his limit, but everyone agreed. It went.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM The bullets ripped threw James's legs, cutting threw bone, muscle, tissue. The bullets also ripped into Amber chest, puncturing her lungs, her heart, her stomach, her intire chest shattered by the small bullets. James looked at his legs, and dropped the shotgun. He fell to the floor almost instantly, his legs no longer being able to support him. As he hit the floor, he looked at Ben.

"You...You grew...You grew some balls!" James laughed. He lay his head down. Ben watched as James just let it happen. No screaming, no crying for help. James lay there, and with his blood pumping out of his broken legs, he closed his eyes, breathed one last time, and was still. Ben dropped the MAC-10, and just stared at the two corpses that lay in front of him.

Girl#11 Amber Stiles Dead (15 Contestants Remaining)

Boy#18 James Hill Dead (14 Contestants Remaining)

Fifty-Third Hour 14 Contestants Remaining